Stuart Moran continued his comeback, and his first road race as a master, on Saturday at the Race to the Taps 8-Miler. The course, which began and ended at New Belgium Brewing, followed the French Broad River out and back through Carrier Park before hitting the long grinding half-mile long climb up Riverview Drive in the final two miles.

Stuart and Ethan Doherty (Race to the Taps series leader) were clear of the field early on and ran side-by-side for much of the first four miles. Ethan made a move in the fifth mile and opened up a few-second gap. Stuart hung tough over next mile or so, but Ethan was able to pull away on the final climb. It was great to see a strong battle up front from two local guys.

This was a solid rust-buster for Stu (aside from the BRR, it's been nearly a year since his last race). It will be fun to watch his improvement over the coming weeks and months.